When is it? Friday October 9th (set up from 9am, Welcome to Country at 12 midday); to Sunday October 11th. You can also check out the Facebook event.
How do I get there? Helensburgh Park, Helensburgh (40 mins south of Sydney). Check out the map at here. It’s easily accessible by train and car, see here for details and directions. We’ll have huge marquees, toilets, showers, decorations, kitchens, tents, solar panels galore, and a whole lot more.

How much? Anyone is welcome to come to Climate Camp ’09, and entry is by donation. We’re suggesting a range of $5 per day (for low-income folks / students, incl. some food) to $20 a day (for waged folks, incl. food all meals). For more details, see here. Kids are free.

Can I bring the kids? It’s school holidays, and we’re ready for a flood of kids at Climate Camp. Bring them along! We’re preparing a big Art Space and a Kids’ Tent, with great volunteers co-ordinating heaps of hands-on activities, crafts, and fun learning about climate change and sustainability.

What’s on? There is an exciting and packed program for Climate Camp ’09. Kicking off with a Welcome to Country from Uncle Dootch (Dharawal Traditional Owner and Chairperson of the Illawarra Aboriginal Land Council), then workshops on new media, climate justice and coal expansion. On Saturday, there’ll be practical workshops about taking action and learning your legal rights, great forums on political donations, sustainable transport, and planning for a vibrant community action on Sunday. Download the Climate Camp Program here.

Check out the Get Ready for Climate Camp page for more details, such as:

Join hundreds of parents, youths, locals and workers in a community rally and peaceful walk-on to the site of Australia’s oldest coal mine in Helensburgh.

The Climate Camp ’09 action is on Sunday 11 October starting 11am at Charles Harper Park (cnr Walker and Parkes St, Helensburgh). Please wearblue and be creative around the theme of water, climate and jobs.

The NSW Government has recently approved an extension of the Metropolitan Colliery coal mine for a further 23 years. The mine uses a process of ‘longwall’ mining that involves removing coal from long shafts, then allowing the earth above it to collapse. The Metropolitan expansion will mine directly underneath southern Sydney’s main drinking water supply, threatening Woronora Dam, and polluting more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 every year.

Speakers at this climate justice action include Uncle Dootch Kennedy (Traditional Owner of Dharawal land, Chairperson of the Illawarra Aboriginal Land Council), Graham Brown (retired coal miner), Julie Sheppard (Rivers SoS) and Lee Rhiannon (NSW Greens MP). There will also be a number of entertaining performers supporting this powerful community action.

Don’t miss this important opportunity to wearblue and be part of the flood for climate justice. When it comes to water, climate and jobs, actions speak louder than words.________________________________________________

WHAT YOU CAN DO

How can I help? You can invite your friends with the Facebook event; organise with other parents to bring along the kids for a school holiday treat; get together with a bunch of your mates to camp together; or just come along for the powerful and peaceful community action at Australia’s oldest coal mine on Sunday October 11th. For the keen beans, we’d love help setting up on Thursday Oct 8th (packing down on Monday Oct 12th) in Helensburgh from 9am.

Follow us around: Drop an email, follow us on Twitter, and check out our website for updates throughout Climate Camp ’09.

Check out exciting news from Climate Camps around the world. When we pitch our tents next week we will not be alone. We will be part of a global movement of tens of thousands of people attending Climate Camps to push for change and climate justice.

Last week, North Americans at the West Coast Climate Convergence took on Chevron and big oil; 1500 people in Copenhagen taking action to shut down a coal-fired power station; and South Australians staged their first Climate Camp, taking community action against coal-fired power. For information about the flood of community climate action, check out the links at www.climatecamp.org.au or listen to this great radio/podcast series Camping all the Way to Copenhagen.________________________________________________

JOIN US AT CLIMATE CAMP ’09

Climate Camp is for all of us – because when it comes to water, climate and jobs; actions speak louder than words. We hope you’ll join us at Climate Camp ’09 – with our kids and parents, our neighbours and friends – so we can begin building solutions together.

P.S. Check out www.climatecamp.org.auand join hundreds of folks next weekend from October 9 – 11th at Climate Camp ’09: three days of sustainable living and community action in Helensburgh, at Australia’s oldest coal mine.
Can’t make it for the whole weekend? Just come along to the Climate Camp ’09 action at 11am on Sunday October 11th, at Australia’s oldest coal mine, for water, good jobs, and climate justice.